Headlights

CMCs (and others) have a bent piece of bent galvanized thin metal making a slight hook that the assembly just hangs (hinges) on.  On CMC you just lift it up.

Those two phillips screws at 2 and 8 o'clock on chrome bezel are the adjustment screws. They tilt the inner headlight bucket. One at 2 is vertical and 8 is horizontal.

Carlos,

Yes, there should just be a tab at the top (12 o'clock) that the headlight assembly hangs on.  Once you pull the bottom mounting bolt/nut/washer, the assembly should just pull out slightly at the bottom and then slide up 1/2"  until the top lip comes off the tab.

I've seen some of these assemblies assembled improperly and the glass retaining clips not offset so the tab will hang up on one of the clips.  The clips should stop at 10-11 and start again at 1-2 with nothing at 12.

Regarding adjustment, the most common mistake we see is the inside of the headlight bucket not clearanced around the adjuster screws/springs so they hang up on the inside of the fiberglass bucket and will not move when you try to adjust them.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the reply.

I did manage to get the assembly off. The tab on my car is pretty significant and made of fiberglass, thus making it difficult to get the assembly unengaged from it.

One of the clips was also interfering with the process. 

Having the assembly in my hands gives me a better grip on how it works and what I might have to do to get them adjusted properly.

When I figure it out, I'll be sure to post my solution for all to use or laugh at.

CG

Carey,

Now that I look more carefully at the inside of the light bucket, I can see evidence of where the inner housing has been rubbing against the fiberglass.

Well, so much for my solution for more adjustment. Now I'm going to have to rethink my idea.

CG

Might use a Dremel tool to clearance it (or 80 grit sand paper).  I thought rear of glass light might be rubbing.  If it is old style incandescent - the newer reflectors with H4 bulbs might be shorter. Plus they produce much better light.

In a Speedster the back of the fiberglass headlight bucket is exposed to the elements, so it is important to keep it sealed up, but in a Spyder it is exposed to the inside of the front trunk so you can actually cut slots all the way through if needed.

That is a very good point, Carey.

That opens up a whole new line of thought......

I do have the H4 bulbs, Wolfgang. The low beams are still pretty weak. I just run with the brights on.

Carlos,

I thought I posted my headlight wiring upgrade onto one of your posts about headlights, if not I'll find it and post it for you.  If your Spyder is not using relays, add relays.  I went from 10.2 volts at the headlight with the all of the power running through the headlight switch to 13.3 volts with just power for the relays running through the headlight switch.  The result was I went from 500 lumens with a really hot headlight switch to over 1000 lumens with a cool headlight switch. WHAT a difference it made.

That would be great, Robert.

My lights are relayed.

I'm guessing, the weakness of my low beams has something to do with them being pointed more up than they need to be.

I was thinking of moving one of the pivot points.

If I move the bottom pivot out, I might need a longer screw. The inner housing might then come in contact with the bucket.

I could then, alter the bucket to allow for more clearance. I really don't want to start cutting into fiberglass. I've worked with it some in the past, and I really don't like it.

Worst case, I could just cut the bucket out totally, get rid of the pivots and adjusting screws, adjust them manually from the inside of the trunk and then glue the inner housing in place.  Ahhhh,       I don't think so.

https://www.speedsterowners.com...light-wiring-upgrade

I'm posting it Carlos but if you're running relays you're getting full power to your lights so it is either an aiming problem or just too small of a light bulb problem.

If you're running relays and at least 14 gauge wire you can actually step up to a brighter H4 style bulb.  If you're using the Hella Lenses and an H4 style bulb step up to a brighter, whiter bulb. You could even use an H4 bulb designed for off-road use, although it wouldn't technically be street legal, but who's really gonna know.

Running a relay for your lights is a positive step, but it doesn't guarantee full power to the low beam circuit.  You still need to check the voltage, as your symptoms sound like you have a voltage drop.  A good power supply with a bad ground will also cause the problems you describe.

The wiring is solid. The wire is 14 gauge at least, it might even be 12. I will put a multimeter on it just for kicks.

I just need to work on alignment, which is a know weakpoint with these assemblies.

This is unlikely, but the headlight sockets might be wired incorrectly....  I did this myself on one car.....Had apparently normal light on one setting, then DIM on the other....   The ground was wired to the wrong pin allowing one element to function normally, but when switched, the filaments were wired in series....DIM.

I ended up bending the tension springs a bit, and backing the screws out. But it wouldn't go low enough, and I have the H4 headlights. I removed the plastic plug, and bent each connection 90 degrees, which made enough clearance. All good now.

I have a Vintage Spyder, which is the same body more or less than your SM.

I took some time to fiddle with my headlights.

I was going to shim the bulb, but I figured this wouldn't be enough.

But if I relocated the pivot points I could point the inner assembly down some.

Everything I did is reversible, just in case it doesn't work.

I pushed the bottom pivot out and used a small screw and nut with a piece of wire to hold it in place.

I moved the top pivot in. I removed the rubber piece on the top pivot and drilled a small hole through both assembles and then made a cotter pin to hold the inner assembly in place. I screwed the top adjusting screw almost all the way in.

The two inner assemblies aren't parallel with each other anymore, so the adjusting screws are even more useless than they were before.

I took it out tonight, and it's a huge improvement.

This should be good until I find a less "rigged" solution.

My headlight assembly has the adjusting screws at the 7:30 and 1:30 positions.

Does the assembly with the screws at 7:30 and 4:30 have a better adjustment range for our cars?

CG